Ballot box



Jan. 27', 1925.-, J. H. BARTELS BALLOT BOX Filed Jan. lO, 1924 4 Shee'cs-Sheet l Jan. 27, 1925-l 1,524,498 l VJ. H. BARTELS BALLOT BOX Filed Jan. 10, 1924 4 Smets-sheet 2 J. H. BVARTELS BALLQT Box Filed Jan. 10, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 /IIIIIIIIII Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN HENRY BARTELS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BALLo'r Box.

AppIcation filed January 10, 1924. Serial No. 685,399.

To all whomy t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY Bai-WELS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new `and useful Improvements in Ballot Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specitication.

This invention relates to ballot boxes and more particularly to a ballot box provided with an opening in its top through which the ballot is to be inserted and which opening is covered by a hinged lid, operable by means within the box.

One of theobjects of the invention is to produce a ballot box into which the voter will not be permitted :to insert a ballot, in the act of voting, except in connection with and in the presence of a judge or other election official, who will lirst manipulate the ballot box so as to uncovei1 the opening.

Another object is to produce a ballot box in which theballot, when inserted in the opening, Will not drop freely into the box, but will be drawn into the box by means of the pair of rollers manipulated by the election oiiicial.

Another object is to produce a ballot box wherein the operating device which uncovers the opening through which the ballot is inserted and the device which completes the deposit of the ballot into the box will also close the opening as soon as the deposit of the ballot has been effected. In other words, l propose to produce a ballot box which is locked; which will be opened when a voter presents himself to deposit a ballot; which will deposit the ballot through mechanical means when the ballot is deliveredin the opening by the voter and which will then be closed so that the ballot box will be in a looked position when the next voter appears` the entire operation being controlled by the election oliicial.

Another object of my invention is to automatically einboss, mark or indent each ballot as it is being deposited in the box.

Another object of my invention is to produce a ballot box having ballot depositing mechanism therein, so arranged that it may be operated by differently fashioned operating keys, so that in the event that one election official should attempt to prevent proper voting by withholding an operating` rey in his possession and refusing to operate the ballot box mechanism, another official having a key may act.

Another object is to produce a ballot box which will safeguard the purity of the ballot by a construction which'will not permit of its being tampered with without the unauthorized act being detected.

'These and other objects of the invention will be more fully coinprehended as I proceed with my specification. To the above ends, my invention consists in the devices and combinations of devices herein illustrated, described and more pai'- ticularly pointed out in the appended claims. One form of my invention is illustrated 1n the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a sample ballotI box em-bodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view, enlarged,

of the insert plate in the top of the ballot box, with the housing removed to disclose certain operative mechanism. Figure 3 is a side View of the insert plate in the plane indicated by the dotted /line ,f3-3 on Fig. 2, showing one of the rollers in elevation, and the housing partly in section, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is an end view of the insert plate with the housing in section, as indicated by line 4&4, Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a side View similar to F iglure 3, showing the other roller in elevation, as indicated by line 5-5,` Fig. 2.

Figures 6 and 7 are transverse vertical sectional views of the insert plate, the sections being taken in the vertical planes, indicated by dotted lines 6 6 and 7-7 on Fig; 2, respectively. 7

Figure 8 is a similar view, the section being in the vertical plane indicated by the dotted line 88 on Fig. 2, this view also showing a paper ballot being inserted in the box between the rollers.

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the locking pin, the section being taken longitudinally on the vertical dotted line indicated at 9 9 on Fig. Il.

Figure l0 is a detailed view partly in section, enlarged, showing one of the operating handles.

Figures l1 and 12 are end views of the two operating handles.

Figure 1 3 is a plan view, enlarged, of

Cil

lllf) shown,v the slot.v l1-isdny an. insertplate. B

secured in .the top 2 and is covered by a hinged: lidor `cover 5, ras shown more clearly in Fig. 8.

A* .pairy offrollsfC, C. revolubly mounted onj shafts 6,6X .depend from the plate B and areYadapted;tlo-;be,rotiated towards. each other so as to draw.- a ballot, indie-ated at D, between them, when the latter .iseinserted throrgh` the slot;` 4, as shown in F-ig. 8.

The shafts 6 are mountedinlsuitable bear ings 7 and at-one endzeach carries agear 8.

. yThese gears intermesh so that the rotation of one with'v itsshatt and roll will. cause the other shaft-6 and its roll-C to also rotate. The ends of; these shafts 6-6* are differentlv shaped to tit. the differently formed shaft sockets 9 and-19in the ends. 11 of the two operating wrenches EE. as

shown in Figs. `11 and 12. These shaft ends 11. are preferably brought close to one end of theiballot box soas to be readib7 accessible of ope-ration by the-.wrenches EE y through openings 12. Each wrench E may be provided withl a hollow handle` portionI 13, closed by. a..-suitab le cap 14, so 'asv to.Y 4provide afconvenient receptacle for a key F, different keys being provided Jfor judges of. election of opposing political vpartiesas for example, 'Republican and Democratl The keys F,'F,' are adapted to fit theploc-ks '15e-15, which flocks hold the` Y hingedllid 5. in `'place when closed; a slotted hasp 1G being ontlie lid'l adapted. forengagement withl the bolt- 17 of the. locks 15.

On the sha-tts 6 is aratchetwhcel 1S, the teeth 19 ofvwhich are engaged bya pawl 2O'pivotcdl at 21 to bracket 22 on the plate B. A. bent `spring-23 secured to the pawl 2O bears with its `tree endA upon thel plate B thus holding the pawlh2()` under proper tension in constant engagement with the ratchet wheel 18. It will be seen therefore that Jthis shaft. 6 and its gear 8 and roll C has a rotative movement, always in .the same direction. A- similarly arrangedA ratchet wlreel124 andspring pressed pawl; 25 applied to the shiaft 6X` performs the same function, i. e. of preventing this` second shaft from rotation except in one direction.

Secured tothe .hinged lid 5 @andextending therefrom through a. slot in the plate B is a curved arm 36, the freeend of which is pivotally united to one end of a toggle link 27. One end 28 of. Ial second toggle link 29 is pivoted to link 27 and the other end of link 29 being pivotally mounted iu bracket 30 securedV to plate B.

When a ballot, indicated at D, is to be voted the oliicial by turning the handle 1S raises thev lid 5. exposing `the opening 4. The voter deposits the ballot through the opening until its end or edge is caught in the bitebetween rollers C, C, and; as the otlicial continues to manipulate handle 13 the rollers draw the ballot between them and deposit Within'tlie ballot box, and thelid 5 again closing `the opening 4. In thus passing between the rollersthe ballot sheet is. embossed so tas to reveal the fact that it was a. sheet `actually voted. This is accomplishedby slightly raisedprotuberances 2G on the rolls, of any suitable construction. In this instance,l said protuberances 26 are the rounded heads of screws set here and there in the rolls.

Gris the counter device, as a whole, ot,

any` suitable or standard construction` provided with marginally. numbered rotatable discs so arranged as mregister, one at a time, the number of ballots deposited within the box. This device G is Secured to the.

wheel 31 in position.

' 'llhepawl'41 reciprocates through a guido- -way 33,.fand-ispivot-ally attached at 34 to a.

rocker arm 35, the upper cud of which vswingingly mounted in the bracket 30 on the plate 5. A tension spring 37 bears against the arm The lower end of the rockarm 35 engages a cam groove 38 in a cam. 39 mounted upon the shaft' (1* which,

rotates one of: the rolls (l. rlhus when the roller. shaft 6* has made one complete revolution the cam will have rocked the arm 35 lirst in one direction and then in the other. back to its starting position. the arln r35 will have given the pawl 41 its proper reciprocative. movement, the .latter will ha vo rotated the ratchet wheel 31. and the appropriate rotative movement will havebeon given to the counter' device operating shaft 40, whereby the numerals visible through the opening` ft of plate 5 will register a higher total, by. one, than was previously registered.

1n order to `compensate tor ballots ot varying thickness. l find it desirable to provide that one of the rollers C may yield somewhat and this I accomplish in the following manner.

One end of the shaft 6 is mounted in a movable bearing box 42 so as to slide laterally in a guide way frame 43. A tension spring 44 is placed within the frame 43 so that one end may bear upon the box 42 and in its normal position hold the box towards the center of the device, whereby the two rolls are in closed ballot gripping position, and whereby the rolls may be slightly separated by the compression of spring 44.

The gear 8 or shaft 6 is provided with a recess 45 to receive the end of a locking bolt 46 which passes through a spring contained hub 47 on the housing wall 48. By pulling on the handle 49 the spring 50 is compressed by the collar 51 on the bolt 46 and the bolt 46 moved lengthwise until its end is free from the gear, thus permitting the latter to rotate. lVhen handle 49 is released, the spring forces the bolt in the other direction to lock the gear. 52 is a suitable meta-l housing secured by rivets 53 or otherwise to the plate B.

From the forego-ing description, it will be understood that in using the ballot box, the election authorities will first record the reading register and then lock the cover on the empty box. When returned by the official of the polling` place or precinct where it has been used, the reading on the counting device will show the total number of ballots cast at that election, and this number should tally with the numberl of ballots actually within the box. Every ballot cast will have been embossed by the rollers C, C, and hence any attempt to change the result by adding an unauthorized ballot or by substituting such a ballot for one actually voted, may be readily detected.

It will also be understood that before the box may be put into use at the polling place both election officials must be present and each unlock the proper lock l5 with his appropriate cparty key F. Thereafter, one or the other oiiicial must attend as the voting proceeds, and with his wrench E raise the lid 5 and operate the mechanism described.

I would have it understood that my in vent-ion is not limited to the particular style, design or arrangement of parts hereinabove described, as for example, instead of the T-shaped wrench E any other suitable form of device for turning the shafts 6 6 may be used. Other modifications may be :nade without departing from my invention, and will be comprehended within the scope and spirit thereof, as set forth in the claims hereto appended..

I do not herein make claims to a counting device operatively actuated by tho same means which actuates the hinged lid v and the rollers, herein illustrated and described, as I intend to cover this part of my invention in another application.

I claim- 1. A ballot box provided with a ballot receiving aperture in one side, a hinged lid for said aperture, a pair of feed vrollers within the box adjacent to the aperture, and an operating element for actuating bot-h the rollers and the hinged lid.

2. A ballot box provided with a ballot receiving aperture in one side, a hinged lid for said aperture, a pair of feed rollers within the box adjacent to the aperture, and means for actuating said rollers and said hinged lid by one operating element, said means including a pawl and ratchet toprevent the reverse rotation of said feed rollers.

3. A ballot box provided with a ballot receiving aperture, a hinged lid for the aperture, feed rollers within the box adjacent to sai-d aperture, and means for operating the hinged lid to uncover the aperture, for rotating the feed rollers to receive and feed a ballot into the box and then for closing the hinged lid over the aperture, said means being actuated by one operating element.

4. A ballot box provided with a ballot receiving aperture, a hinged lid for the aperture, a pair of rotatable shafts within the box, means for actuating said shafts from the outside of the box, a feed roller on each shaft, and operative connections between the shafts and the hinged lid to uncover the aperture, to rotate the feed rollers to receive and feed a ballot into the box and to close the hinged li-d over the aperture, said operative connections being actuated from either one of the feed roller shafts.

5. A ballot box provided with a ballot receiving aperture in one side, a hinged lid for said aperture, a pair of feed rollers within the box adjacent to the aperture, means for actuating said rollers and said hinged lid by one operating element, and a yield ing detent to lock the feed rollers from rotation after the hinged lid has again closed said aperture.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I aiiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 7th day of January, 1924.

JOHN HENRY BARTELS.

Witnesses z TAYLOR E. BROWN, B. L. MAoGnreon,

lll) 

